XN000022-1974-09-23 — Page 2

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1974.

CALL FOR CRITICAL LOOK AT VOLUNTARY WELFARE SERVICES

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VOLUNTARY WELFARE AGENCIES SHOULD CONSIDER TAKING A CRITICAL LOOK AT THEIR SERVICES TO ENSURE THEY HAKE THE BEST POSSIBLE USE OF THE RESOURCES PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT,

AY).

THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MR. THOMAS LEE, SAID TODAY (MONDAY).

HE MADE THE SUGGESTION WHEN SPEAKING AT A DINNER GIVEN IN HIS HONOUR BY THE HONG KONG COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE.

HONG KONG, HE NOTED, HAD A RICH VARIETY OF AGENCIES VARY ING IN SIZE, AND SCOPE IN THE SERVICES THEY PROVIDED.

SOME WERE CONCERNED WITH REHABILITATION, OTHERS DEALT SPECIFICALLY WITH CHILDREN AND SOME AIMED TO PROVIDE FOR YOUTH. THERE WERE ALSO THE MULTI-PURPOSE ONES WHO HELPED OVER A WIDE RANGE OF NEEDS.

+THE RESULT IS THAT SOME WELFARE SERVICES ARE WELL COVERED WHILE OTHERS ARE COMPARATIVELY NEGLECTED, HE POINTED OUT.

+WITH THIS IN MIND IT IS NOT HARD TO SUGGEST THAT THERE IS SOME CASE FOR CONSIDERING RATIONALISATION.+

MR. LEE SAID VOLUNTARY AGENCIES, COULD, IN SOME INSTANCES, BE GROUPED TOGETHER IN A PARTICULAR FIELD AND WITHIN EACH CATEGORY A MOVE COULD BE MADE TOWARDS INTERNAL MERGERS. OR SMALLER AGENCIES MIGHT ESTABLISH CLOSER LINKS WITH LARGER ORGANISATIONS AND SEEK TO SHARE COMMON ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AND SO ON.

IN GIVING FIGURES TO SUPPORT HIS AGRUMENT, HE SAID AT PRESENT 14 AGENCIES RUN ONLY ONE DAY NURSERY EACH 17 ARE ENGAGED IN YOUTH WORK THREE ARE CONCERNED WITH

FAMILY WELFARE SERVICES AND 14 RANGE OVER REHABILITATION SERVICES.

TURNING TO FINANCE, HE SAID THAT HELP FROM OVERSEAS HAD BEEN ON A STEADY DECLINE OVER THE YEARS FROM ABOUT $40 MILLION A YEAR IN THE 1960'S TO $16 MILLION THIS YEAR AND THERE WAS A LIKELIHOOD OF THIS DOWNWARD DRIFT CONTINUING.

ON THE OTHER HAND, THE GOVERNMENT SUBVENTION HAS RISEN SIXFOLD FROM $5.6 MILLION IN 1965/66 TO $36.6 MILLION THIS FISCAL YEAR.

+AND IN A COUPLE OF YEARS TIME IT LOOKS VERY MUCH AS THOUGH GOVERNMENT HELP MIGHT WELL RISE TO OVER $60 MILLION A YEAR TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN AND ALLOWING FOR HIGHER COSTS.

/+IN SHORT,

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